The state’s new minimum wage law may cause employers to fret a bit

On July 1, 2014, California’s minimum wage increased to $9 per hour — but there are some related issues that could have a larger impact on businesses than the increase in wages.

The minimum wage increase not only raises regular and overtime wages, it also affects the classification standards of “overtime exempt” employees. In most cases, exempt employees must be paid a monthly salary that exceeds at least twice the minimum wage.

“The concern is that employers will not take that into account. Because exempt employees are not hourly, employers may not go back and see whether that salary translates to at least the minimum wage per hour,” says Wendy E. Lane, a partner at Greenberg Glusker.

Smart Business spoke with Lane about how the new wage law is affecting California employers.